No. 1 South Main Street, Naas
David Wilson
Next to the Town Hall of Naas, which was originally built in 1796 as a jail, is a rather unremarkable three-storey building that also has a history of more than two hundred years. It was previously numbered as 24 Main Street West but is now 1 South Main Street. Some light is shed on its early history by a rambling and repetitive document in the Registry of Deeds, which I have transcribed below. Even the clerk who wrote the document obviously lost his concentration at several places and made a number of mistakes but I have tried to reproduce the original as nearly as possible and have added a few additional notes from official sources and from papers handed down in my own family.
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Registry of Deeds, Dublin.
Naas 1826-28: Long & others to Atkinson, 818.94.550829
To the Reg[istra]r. appd. by act of Par[liamen]t. for regy. Deeds Leases & soforth.
A Memorial of an Indented deed of assignment bearing date the 4th day of Jany 1825 Between John Long of Kingstown in the County of Kildare [corr: Dublin] Tavern Keeper and Mary Ann Long ow”se [otherwise] Gillett his Wife of the first parts, Thomas Gillett of Naas in the Coy. of Kildare Surgeon of the second part Saml. Atkinson of Naas afd.[aforesaid] Shop Keeper and Sadler [sic] and Laura Atkinson ow”se Gillett his Wife of the third part, Peter Gillett of Naas Gentn. of the 4th part andWm. Atkinson of Naas afd. Shopkeeper and Ellen Atkinson ow”se Gillett his Wife of the 5th part..Whereby after reciting that Jas. Whelan of Naas in sd. Coy. of Kildare by Ind[entu]re of Lease dated the 18th of April 1802 for the cons[iderat]ion therein ment[ione]d demised granted set and to farm let unto Peter Gillet his Ex[ecut]ors adm[inistrat]ors and assigns All that and Those the Tenem[en]t or Holding situate lying and being in the town of Naas in the Coy. of Kildare whereon stands a new dwelling house lately built by the ad. Richd. Bonner fronting the Street of Naas being 42 feet in the front be the same more or less with the Yard and Stable in the rere [sic] of the sd. new house as the same was inclosed by Richd. Bonners House on the South West side and left by a stone wall which divides it from the Lane between the sd. tenemt. and the ground marked for the new Jail on the North East side and by the sd. new house and the sd. Street of Naas on the South West side with the app”urs [appurtenances ?] and did by Cov[enan]t therein contained did make over all his the sd. Jas. Whelans right title and Intt. [Intitulement ?] of in and to the said prem[is]es and also in and to the sd. recited Ind[entu]re of Lease and all clauses and Covts. therein contained.
To hold unto said Peter Gillett his ex”ors adm”ors and assigns from the 25th day of March 1802 for and during the rest residue of sd James Whelans term being for the term of 14 years . and all his right title and Intt. therein and right of renewal for sd. term of 10 years under sd. covts. and reciting that the said Peter Gillet [sic] had made many lasting and valuable improvemts. on sd. demised prem[is]es far exceeding said sum of £40 and was therefore entitled to the benefit of sd. cont.and reciting that the sd Peter Gillet had entered into an agreement with the existing parties thereto for a further term of 999 years in and to the sd. prem”es after the expiration of sd. term of 10 years and reciting that the said Peter Gillett entered into the poss[essi]on of sd. prem”es and remained therein until her [sic] death and by her [sic] last will and testement [sic] devised and bequeathed all her [sic] real freehold and personal property unto his wife Mary Gillet for her life and after his [sic] death unto his children share and share alike and reciting that the sd. Mary Gillett was then dead and reciting that the sd. John Long in right of his wife Mary Ann Long ow”se Gillett Thomas Gillett Saml. Atkinson in right of his wife Ellen [corr: Laura] Atkinson ow”se Gillett Peter Gillett and William Atkinson in right of his wife Ellen Atkinson ow”se Gillett which sd. Mary Ann Long, Thomas Gillett Laura Atkinson Peter Gillett and Ellen Atkinson ow”se Gillett are the sons & Daughters of the sd. Peter Gillett and Mary Gillett and therefore entitled to an equal share and proportion of the Intt. in sd. recited House buildings and prem”es and reciting that the Intt. in sd. prem”es had been valued by competent persons called and chosen for the purpose to a sum of £250 and reciting that the sd. John Long and Mary Ann Long his wife Thomas Gillett and Peter Gillett had agreed to sell and dispose of their respective Intts. in the prem”es therein and herein before and herein after mentd. unto sd. Wm. Atkinson and Ellen his wife Samuel Atkinson and Laura his Wife for a sum of £50 sterg. to be paid to each and every of them res”ply after which recital sd. Ind”re witnessed that the sd. John Long and Mary Ann Long his Wife Thoms. Gillett and Peter Gillett in cons[iderat]ion of the sum of £50 Sterg. to each of them paid the sd. sum of £50 making the purchase money of the sd. prem”es £150 did each of them according to their respective rights and powers grant bargain sell assign and make over unto the sd. Wm. Atkinson and Ellen Atkinson Saml. Atkinson and Laura Atkinson his wife all that and those the tenemt. or holding situate lying and being in the town of Naas aforesd. whereon stands a new Dwelling house fronting the street of Naas and on the North West side of the sd street being 42 feet in the front be the same more or less with yard and offices in the rere as the same was in poss”on of sd Peter Gillet and Mary Gillett and was then in poss”on of sd. Saml. Atkinson & Wm. Atkinson, To hold the sd. Bargained and Sold or meant to be sold mentd. or intended to be thereby Bargained and sold dwelling house & prem”es with the app”urs and all the estate right title and Intt property claim and demand at law and in equity of the sd. John Long and Mary Ann Long his Wife, Thomas Gillett & Peter Gillett their and each of their Ex”ors and adm”ors for and during the residue of sd. term of 999 years, thereof granted in & by the sd. therein recited Ind”ure of Lease of 14th May 1801 together with the sd. Intended Deed but only [subject ?] nevertheless to the paymt of the rent and performance of the covt. therein on tent. or lessees part mentd. reservd. and contained which sd. Deed of which this is a meml. as to the execution thereof resply are witnessed by James Thomas Harrison of Peter Street in the City of Dublin Gentn. atty. at law Thoms. Gillet seal John Long seal Mary Ann Long seal Signed and sealed in presence of Wm. R. Lloyd Thomas Harrison signed sealed and delivered by the above named John Long and Mary Ann Long ow”se Gillett his Wife in presence of Geo.[?] Harrison Christ. Wm. Campion Thos Harrison Thos Harrison of Peter Street in the City of Dublin Gentn. atty. maketh oath and saith that he is a subscribing Witness to the deed of which the forgoing [sic] writing is a meml. and also to sd. Meml. and that he saw the sd. deed duly executed by John Long Mary Ann Long, Thos. Gillett Saml. Atkinson Laura Atkinson Peter Gillett Wm Atkinson Ellen Atkinson and the said memorial duly executed by the said Thomas Gillett John Long Mary Ann Long and that the name Thomas Harrison subscribed as a Witness to sd. Deed and Meml. resp”ly is this depts. proper name and hand writing and sayth he delivered said deed and this Meml. to Francis Armstrong Esqre. Dep. Reg. in his office on the Inns Quay Dublin on Friday the 3rd day Novr. 1826 at or near the hour of 12 ½ past twelve OClock in the afternoon of sd day Thomas Harrison Sworn before me this 3rd day of Novr. 1826 Francis Armstrong Dep. Reg.
NOTES
Registry of Deeds document 1839.21.20 is a mortgage dated 11 November 1839 between
(1) Samuel Atkinson, saddler of Naas, and Laura Atkinson,
(2) John Atkinson, son of the said Samuel Atkinson,
(3) James Fitzpatrick of Newland, Co. Kildare.
It states that John Atkinson, deceased, was the father of Samuel and William Atkinson.
Samuel consigns his half share of property from his father to James Fitzpatrick for £110.
Also relates to the “New house built by Richard Bonner on the Street of Naas near the
New Joal [sic].”
Witnessed by James Dunn(e), apprentice to Samuel Atkinson.
Peter Gillet senior had married Mary Tracy in 1787 [Dublin Marr. Lic. Appendix to 26th Report of Deputy Keeper of Public Records in Ireland].
Mary died 14 July 1824, aged 63 years, and is buried at St David’s, Naas, with her sister Martha, who had married William Read in 1783 [Brian McCabe, ‘St David’s Church Naas.’ Irish Family History, vol. 9, 1993, p. 45; Dublin Marr. Lic. Appendix to 26th Report of Deputy Keeper of Public Records in Ireland].
Mary’s will was proved at Dublin in 1824 [Index to Prerogative Grants, 1821-1830]; it seems that her husband had predeceased her.
Mary Ann Gillet married John Long in 1812 [Index to Marriage Licence Bonds, Diocese of Kildare].
Ellen Martha [described as “Eleanor”] Gillet married William Atkinson in 1816 [Dublin Marr. Lic. Appendix to 36th Report of Deputy Keeper of Public Records in Ireland].
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POSTSCRIPT
After some fifteen years of marriage, Ellen Martha and William Atkinson already had six children when, on 11 April 1831, Ellen Martha gave birth to another boy. Three or four days later, William was killed by his favourite hunter, which pressed him to a wall in a loose box. The news of his death was announced to his widow by bringing in the new baby with black bows on his shoulders. The baby was christened on 30 April and shortly after this his poor mother died; she was buried on 2 May. Fortunately the baby himself survived – he was my great grandfather. Just across the road from “Richard Bonner’s new house”, in the old churchyard of St David’s, there is a sad reminder of his start in life: a grave enclosed with iron railings that carry a plaque with the name ATKINSONS.
David Wilson, December 2012
An article on No. 1 South Main Street, Naas, by UK resident David Wilson. Our thanks to David, who visited Kildare Library and Arts Services, Newbridge Library, in late 2012
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